Bruce Berman

Bruce Berman
Born (1952-04-25) April 25, 1952
New York, New York
Residence Los Angeles, CA
Alma mater UCLA
Georgetown Law School
California Institute of the Arts Film School
Bennington College
Occupation Film industry executive and executive producer
Years active 1978 - present
Employer Chairman and CEO, Village Roadshow Pictures
Board member of Founding member, J. Paul Getty Museum Photographs Council

Bruce Berman is an American film industry executive and executive producer. He is the chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures, a position he has held since 1997. His credits as an executive producer include American Sniper, The Lego Movie, The Great Gatsby, the Ocean's trilogy, Sherlock Holmes and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Happy Feet and The Matrix trilogy.[1][2][3][4]

Berman is noted for his collection of contemporary American photographs. In 2004, he was listed among the world’s top 25 photography collectors by ARTNews.[5]

Early life and education

Berman was born in New York in 1952. As a teenager, he developed a passion for photography and contemplated a career as a photographer. He continued to pursue photography throughout high school and into college, where, as a student at Bennington College, he would take frequent road trips to shoot photos of 20th century Americana.[6]

Berman's focus shifted to film after he was accepted at the California Institute of the Arts film school. "I didn't think I could make a living at photography," Berman said in a 2007 interview with the Los Angeles Times. "And when I got into film school, I didn't think I could do both." [7]

In addition to Bennington and CalArts, Berman attended UCLA, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in United States history. He also attended Georgetown University Law School, earning a juris doctor in 1978.[3]

Career

Berman began working with Jack Valenti at the MPAA while a student at Georgetown. After he received his degree, he was hired as an assistant to Peter Guber at Casablanca Filmworks. In 1979, he moved to Universal Pictures, where he worked for Sean Daniel and Joel Silver. Less than three years later, he was named vice president of production.[3][6][8]

In 1984, Berman was recruited by Warner Bros. Pictures as a vice president of production, and in 1987 was promoted to senior vice president of production. He was named president of theatrical production in 1989 and president of worldwide theatrical production in 1991. During his tenure at Warner Bros. he produced and distributed films including Goodfellas, Batman Forever, JFK, The Fugitive, The Bodyguard, and Driving Miss Daisy.[6][9]

In May 1996, Berman started Plan B Entertainment, an independent motion picture company affiliated with Warner Bros. In 1997, Warner Bros entered into a joint venture with Village Roadshow Pictures, and Berman was appointed chairman and CEO. Considered "one of the industry’s leading financiers and producers of studio released motion pictures," the Village Roadshow and Warner Bros. partnership was extended in 2012 to 2017. The company established a second joint partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014.[10][11]

Photography collection

In 1991, Berman was given an Edward S. Curtis photograph of a thatched American Indian shelter as a gift. It inspired him to begin a photography collection, which grew to include more than 2600 works by photographers including William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Richard Misrach, Dorothea Lange, and Walker Evans. He and his ex-wife Nancy Goliger donated nearly 500 of the photographs to the J. Paul Getty Museum, which in 2007 showcased them in the exhibition Where We Live: Photographs of America From the Berman Collection.[12][7]

Personal life

Berman has two children; a daughter, with his wife, Lea Russo (an art collection manager), and a son from his previous marriage to Goliger.[3]

Filmography (as executive producer)

Year Title Notes
1998 Practical Magic
1999 Analyze This
The Matrix Four Academy Awards
Best Film Editing (Zach Staenberg)
Best Sound (John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, David E. Campbell)
Best Visual Effects (John Gaeta, Janek Sirrs, Steve Courtley, Jon Thum)
Best Sound Effects Editing (Dane A. Davis)
Deep Blue Sea
Three Kings
Three to Tango
2000 Gossip
Red Planet
Miss Congeniality
2001Valentine
Saving Silverman
See Spot Run
Exit Wounds
Angel Eyes Producer
Swordfish
Cats & Dogs
Training Day
Hearts in Atlantis
Don't Say a Word
The Majestic
Ocean's Eleven
2002Queen of the Damned
Showtime
The Adventures of Pluto Nash
Ghost Ship
Analyze That
Two Weeks Notice
2003Dreamcatcher
The Matrix Reloaded
Mystic River Two Academy Awards
Best Actor in a Leading Role (Sean Penn)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Tim Robbins)
The Matrix Revolutions
2004Torque
Taking Lives
Catwoman
Ocean's Twelve
2005Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous
House of Wax
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Academy Award nomination
Best Costume Design (Gabriella Pescucci)
The Dukes of Hazzard
Rumor Has It...
2006Firewall
The Lake House
Happy Feet Academy Award
Best Animated Feature
Unaccompanied Minors
2007 Music and Lyrics
The Reaping
Lucky You
Ocean's Thirteen
License To Wed
No Reservations
The Invasion
The Brave One
I Am Legend
2008Street Kings
Speed Racer
Get Smart
Nights in Rodanthe
Yes Man
Gran Torino
2009Where the Wild Things Are
Sherlock Holmes Two Academy Award nominations
Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer)
Best Art Direction (Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer)
2010Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Life as We Know It
2011 Happy Feet Two
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
2012The Lucky One
Dark Shadows
2013Gangster Squad
The Great Gatsby Two Academy Awards
Best Production Design (Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn)
Best Costume Design (Catherine Martin)
2014The Lego Movie Academy Award nomination
Best Original Song (Shawn Patterson)
Winter's Tale
Edge of Tomorrow
The Judge
American Sniper Academy Award
Best Sound Editing (Alan Robert Murray and Bob Asman)
Six Academy Award Nominations
Best Picture
Best Actor Bradley Cooper
Best Adapted Screenplay (Jason Hall)
Best Film Editing (Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach)
Best Sound Mixing (John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin)
2015 Jupiter Ascending
Mad Max: Fury Road
San Andreas
Goosebumps
Concussion
In the Heart of the Sea
2016 Grimsby
Legend of Tarzan
Sully
The Magnificent Seven
Collateral Beauty
Passengers
2017 Fist Fight
Going in Style
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

References

  1. Eller, Claudia (March 5, 1999). "For Warner and Roadshow Studios, No Need to Analyze Joint Ventures". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  2. Barnes, Brooks (May 27, 2010). "In Major Deal, Village Roadshow Gets $1 Billion in Credit to Make Movies". New York Times. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Galloway, Stephen (July 31, 2013). "Village Roadshow Chief Bruce Berman on Legendary's Warner Bros. Split and Summer's Tentpole Disaster". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  4. "Bruce Berman Filmography". IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  5. Thomas, Kelly Devine (February 1, 2004). "THE TOP 25 PHOTO COLLECTORS". ARTnews. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "Where We Live: Photographs of America from the Berman Collection" (PDF). The Getty Center. The Getty. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 Bryant, Kathy (February 22, 2007). "A filmmaker's pictures". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  8. Quigley, Eileen S. (2006). International Television & Video Almanac. Quigley Publishing. p. 74. ISBN 0900610786.
  9. Business Day staff (October 8, 1991). "Executives". New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  10. Cheyney, Alexandra (May 5, 2014). "Village Roadshow Inks Co-Finance Deal with Sony Pictures (EXCLUSIVE)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  11. Bond, Paul (November 26, 2012). "Warner Bros. Extends $1 Billion-Plus Village Roadshow Deal Through 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  12. Vogel, Carol (November 30, 2007). "Splitting Up a Collection". New York Times. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
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